Vehicle-wheel.



No. 798,728. PATENTED SEPT. 5, 1905. J. E. HARROD.

VEHICLE WHEEL.

unlourun FILED Nov. x5. m04.

JOEL E. I'IARROI), OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Jatented Sept. 5, 'L'.iu.

Application led November l5, 1904. Serial No. 232,833.

Be it known that l, JOEL E. Hannon, a citi- Zen ot the United States, residing'atIndianapolis, in the county ot Marion and State ot Indiana. have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Vehicle-diedi ot' which the tollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in elastic tires tor vehicles, and has special reference to improvements in tires for automobiles and to a practical substitute tor pneumatic and other rubber tires tor such vehicles.

The object ot the invention is to provide a tire which will attord a maximum resiliency without the dang'er of collapse which attends the puneturing ot the pneumatic tire heretotore in use.

l accomplish the objects ot' the invention by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings. in which- Figure l is a view in side elevation and partial vertical section ot a wheel provided with my improved tire, the view showing the tire without the covering which l ordinarily employ tor the purpose ot deadening' the sound ot the wheel. '.lhesectional line on which Fig. I is taken is shown by the dotted line l ot Fig. 2. Fig'. 2 is a detail in cross-section on the line 2 2 ot Fig. l, and Fig'. 3 is a detail representing' a portion ot the periphery or tace ot the wheel and is intended particularly to show the construction ot the diagonal cleats for increasing' the traction ot the wheel.

Like characters ot reterence indicate like parts throughout the several views ot the drawings.

t is the hub ot the wheel, 5 the spokes, and o is the telly, ot any usual and suitable construction.

a T is a spring' which is termed outot spring'- metal wire spirally wound and extending' continuously around the peripheryy ot the wheel.

The telly f5 has the metal tire S between it and the spring i, and passing through the telly between each pan' ot spokes is a bolt 9, l

having' a hook 10 on its outer end adapted to overlap one ot the spring-coils at the inner turn ot said coil and hold the springs securely in position against the tire S. lt will be noted that these bolt-hooks 9 also prevent the longitudinal movement ot the spring upon the wheel.

Entering between the coils ot spring' T at predetermined positions ot the circumference ot the wheel are the radial plates 1l, which project inwardlyy trom the annular plate or i the tire l2. This plate 1'2 has the inwardly-cxtended flange-plates 13 13, which are parallel with each other and with plate 1Q Ytorm a housing' wherein the spring' 7 is inclosed. The flange-plates 13 may be formed integrally with the plate l2, or they may have outside marginal flanges, whereby by means ot the rivets let said plates I?) are `fastened to the plates 12. The two plates 13are parallel with each other and overlap the telly G in the manner as shown in Fig. 2, whereby the telly completes the closure to the interior ot the housing termed by said tlange-plates and tire 12 to prevent the entrance ot sand and gravel and other foreign substances into the chamber formed within said housing'. It will be noted that the diameter ot the spring-coil T is only a little more than halt ot the radial dimensions between the tires 8 and l2. The unoccupied space within said housing' altords room tor the adjustment ot the housing' to and trom the telly ot the wheel under the stress placed upon the wheel by thc load on the vehicle. It will also be noted that the radial plates 1l extend in trom the tire-plate 12 a distance approximately equal to the diameter ot the coils of spring' T.

At the inner endsot plates 11 are the bolts l5, which connect the plates I?) and serve to prevent the spread ot the latter. lhe distance trom bolts Y to the tire S is the same as the distance from tire 1Q to spring T, whereby when the tire-plate 12 is torced in by a heavy load on the vehicle the said plate l2 will come in contact with the spring' and have a bearing thereon, and at the same time the adjacent bolts l5 will contact with the tire 8, thereby providing an additional secure bearing' tor the support ot the weight ot the vehicle without undue strain on the spring'.

'lhe peculiar teature ot my invention whereby l secure the greatest elliciency lies in the manner in which the load is transmitted to the spring' 7. The housing' ot which plate 12 is a part has a constant bearing upon the ground or other surtace over which the wheel is traveling', and the weight ot the vehicle applied to the wheel through hub i would depress the wheel until its tire 8 caille in contact with plate l2 or the radial plates l1 and the bolts 15 but tor the action ot the spring 7. The spring' 7 by being held against longitudinal movement by the bolt-hooks 9 will present the entire load ot the vehicle against those radial plates 11 which happen to be at moment on the sides ot the wheel.. As

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these plates 11 approach a horizontal position they will receive an increasing load, which is transmitted to them through the spring-coils above them. This load will cause a compression of the spring, which will be resisted by the tension of the spring, thereby securing the ease and comfort which it is sought to obtain. As the plates 11 depart from a horizontal position they sustain a correspondingly less amount of the weight until in their vertical positions they are free to slide between the coils of the spring without straining the latter at all.

While I have shown a continuous spring' extending entirely around a felly of the wheel, it is obvious that a plurality of springs each extending from one plate 11 to the next and secured by bolt 9 to the felly might be used with satisfactory results, and I therefore do not desire to limit my invention to this continuous construction.

The tire-plate 12 will be of steel or other metal which by contact with the ground will make more or less noise, and in order to deaden the sound I will provide a covering 16, of leather or other soft and elastic material, and to increase the traction l secure the diagonal strips 17 to said covering 16.

VhileI have shown and described the radial plates 11 as part of my invention, they are not necessary features of my construction if the bolts 15 are used, for the reason that the bolts 15 will take the weight from the springs and transmit it to the housing without the need of said plates 11, and for this reason l do not desire to limit my invention to the use of said radial plates.

Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-e 1. A wheel having a felly, one ormore spirally-wound springs fixed to the periphery of the wheel, a tire-plate surrounding the spring and radial extensions from said tire-plate entering between the coils of said spring'.

Q. A wheel, a coiled spring or springs surrounding the periphery of said wheel and bolted thereto, a tire surrounding the coiled spring, said tire having a pair of parallel inwardly-extended anges between which said spring is located, and bolts connecting said flanges and passing' through the spring.

3.' A wheel having a felly, a spirally-wound spring' or springs bolted to the periphery of the wheel, a tire-plate surrounding the spring, a pair of parallel inwardly-projected flanges from said tire-plate overlapping said felly and forming a housing, and means for-securing said housing to said spring or springs said means comprising flanges extending in radially from the tire-plate, between coils of the spring.

1. A wheel having a felly, a tire surrounding said felly, a spirally-wound spring or springs extending continuously around said tire, bolt-hooks to secure the spring to said felly, a tire-plate surrounding said spring', parallel inwardly-extended anges from said tire-plate radial transverse flanges extending in between coils of the spring from said tirevplate, and transverse bolts connecting said flanges and passing through said spring.

5. A vehicle-wheel having a felly bound with a metal tire, a spirally-wound spring or springs, bolt-hooks securing said spring or springs to said felly, a tire-plate surrounding said spring or springs, parallel anges 'from said tire-plate forming ahousing, flanges from the tire extending' in radially between coils of the spring, means for movably securing the housing' to the spring' or springs, said tireplate having a covering of leather or other material to deaden the sound.

ln witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 11th day of November, A. D. 1904.

J OEL E. HARROD. [L s] /Vitnesses:

F. W. WOERNER, J. A. MINTURN. 

